Pros And Cons Of The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment has been trying to get ratified since 1923. It has been introduced into every congress since 1982. Section one of the amendment states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Section two states, “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.” Last, but not least, section three states, “this amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.” Basically the Equal Rights Amendment is trying to fight for equality between men and women, which I am all for. Women have been fighting for equality for decades and this would be a huge step
them.
The Equal Rights amendment wouldn’t just affect women, it would affect everyone as a whole. There would be a legal impact. “With gender equality being made an amendment to the constitution, it would then be illegal for any favoritism or prejudice to be shown based on gender.” This means that once and for all America would finally achieve gender equality. It would also make gender discrimination not as commonplace. Another benefit is rights would be made for everyone. ”It is only the Equal Rights Amendment that makes it a legal right for civil, human and diplomatic rights for all.” Without ERA, the constitution does not guarantee that our rights are protected.
Not only would this amendment affect everyone, it would have an even bigger impact on women. One benefit would be court precedence. “Another huge advantage of the Equal Rights Amendment is that a clearer legal standard for court rulings on gender discrimination was set.” This would mean that when women went to court there would be no gender discrimination because it would not be tolerated. It would also destroy gender favoritism. Rights would also be recognized as legal. “Without ERA, both men and women have to fight long and find it hard to prove that their rights are all equal.” If ERA were to be passed then the law would recognize that men and women are equal, which would be a huge step for women.
Just like anything else that has pros, there are always cons.
People have claimed that ERA is not good for Americans and the Constitution because it is confusing. “Others felt that the Equal Rights Amendment was not a good change to the constitution because it was confusing and could lay the framework for changing the way that laws were made.” In section two of the Equal Rights Amendment only specifies that congress has the power to enforce the provisions outlined in the amendment, which would be giving the Federal Government more power. This was one of the reasons this amendment didn’t get ratified. Another thing people weren’t a fan of was the language that was used in the amendment. “The language used on the Equal Rights Amendment is considered tricky that may lead to the lack of gender equality and confusion.” People feel like this amendment wasn’t clearly written, which leaves room for misinterpretation. It has also been argued that this amendment could also take rights away from
women.
I think if the Equal Rights Amendment were passed it would be a huge step, not only for women, but for our Nation.
Passing ERA would prove that everyone is equal, regardless of gender. “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Discrimination would no longer be tolerated in places like the court or the workforce. It would also make it easier to take legal action against someone who is violating the law. It would also give women a more fair chance at winning legal battles. Looking back, I touched on the legal impact that passing ERA would have. “Men and women will be finally recognized as equals, sparing women from the need to fight for their standing in the society and to have level footing with men.” What this would mean is that women would finally be able to get credit or even be able to run a business without having her husband’s consent. Women will also be able to take advantage of things like medical care, vocational training, travel, etc.
Even knowing of the cons, I still think ERA is a wonderful thing that should be passed. Alice Paul once said "The movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end." I think this a phenomenal quote because if you think of “each of us puts in one little stone” it could represent each state ratifying the amendment. Then at the end, the “great mosaic” would be women finally gaining equality and living
in a world without gender discrimination.